Churches and aid groups back new Ugandan ceasefire

-30/08/06

Churches and Christian ass


Churches and aid groups back new Ugandan ceasefire

-30/08/06

Churches and Christian assistance organizations have welcomed the ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the so-called Lordís Resistance Army (LRA). But caution that both sides have to make a genuine commitment to the forthcoming peace talks.

ìThis ceasefire is, of course, good news,î says Angelina Atyam, the chairperson of the Concerned Parents Association (CPA), which has helped many victims of the conflict over the years. ìYou can see the excitement on everyoneís face but we are all asking the same question ñ will this lead to peace?î

The ceasefire gives the LRA time to assemble at designated points in southern Sudan where they will be given protection by the regional government. Peace talks are scheduled to begin in three weeks, once this protection is assured.

ìThis ceasefire is important because it might help each side establish some trust,î says Ms Atyam. ìWithout trust the peace talks will stall.î

The war in northern Uganda has lasted more than two decades. More than 20,000 children have been abducted and more than 1.6 million people have been forced to move to camps, seeking some safety in numbers.

It is hoped that with the ceasefire, negotiations will lead to the release and return of the children abducted by the LRA. The returnees and the communities receiving them will need a huge amount of support.

ìThe people coming home need to be reassured of their forgiveness,î explains Ms Atyam. ìThey need to be accepted and supported as they try to reintegrate into their home communities. In many cases their families may have died. They have no homes and no money.î

She continues: ìThere is a lot of work to do because these communities are not yet prepared to receive them. After twenty years of war they are very poor, they have little they can give to help these people returning to nothing.î

The government has already started to encourage people in the camps to return to their homes. This has begun in the Lango and Teso regions of northern Uganda and, to a lesser extent, in Kitgum, Pader and Gulu.

In March 2006 the Ugandan authorities established a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) responsible for managing the recovery of the communities devastated by the past twenty years of conflict.

While this initiative was originally received very well by the international community, little has happened since then. There is growing concern among local and international donors that the JMC has so far failed to deliver.

The Concerned Parents Association is one of a number of local agencies who work with local communities and returnees, helping them to recover from their experiences of the war.

As well as offering counselling and support to people affected by the conflict, they also provide training for returnee young mothers, helping them to develop small businesses so they can begin to support themselves and their children.

Yet this alone can never be enough. ìThe support that is needed here cannot be provided by us aloneî says Angelina ìWe want to see the government taking a lead, they must help us recover.î

UK-based international relief, development and advocacy organization Christian Aid, which works to support poor people irrespective of background or creed, is among those who back the CPA.

[Also on Ekklesia: Church centenary linked to Ugandan peace hope; African Churches back peace talks in Uganda and Sudan; Ugandan Baptists prepare radical refugee rescue plan; Baptists help Uganda refugees as end to war looms; Latest killings in Uganda alarm church agencies; Religious leaders commit to stem African violence]


Churches and aid groups back new Ugandan ceasefire

-30/08/06

Churches and Christian assistance organizations have welcomed the ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the so-called Lordís Resistance Army (LRA). But caution that both sides have to make a genuine commitment to the forthcoming peace talks.

ìThis ceasefire is, of course, good news,î says Angelina Atyam, the chairperson of the Concerned Parents Association (CPA), which has helped many victims of the conflict over the years. ìYou can see the excitement on everyoneís face but we are all asking the same question ñ will this lead to peace?î

The ceasefire gives the LRA time to assemble at designated points in southern Sudan where they will be given protection by the regional government. Peace talks are scheduled to begin in three weeks, once this protection is assured.

ìThis ceasefire is important because it might help each side establish some trust,î says Ms Atyam. ìWithout trust the peace talks will stall.î

The war in northern Uganda has lasted more than two decades. More than 20,000 children have been abducted and more than 1.6 million people have been forced to move to camps, seeking some safety in numbers.

It is hoped that with the ceasefire, negotiations will lead to the release and return of the children abducted by the LRA. The returnees and the communities receiving them will need a huge amount of support.

ìThe people coming home need to be reassured of their forgiveness,î explains Ms Atyam. ìThey need to be accepted and supported as they try to reintegrate into their home communities. In many cases their families may have died. They have no homes and no money.î

She continues: ìThere is a lot of work to do because these communities are not yet prepared to receive them. After twenty years of war they are very poor, they have little they can give to help these people returning to nothing.î

The government has already started to encourage people in the camps to return to their homes. This has begun in the Lango and Teso regions of northern Uganda and, to a lesser extent, in Kitgum, Pader and Gulu.

In March 2006 the Ugandan authorities established a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) responsible for managing the recovery of the communities devastated by the past twenty years of conflict.

While this initiative was originally received very well by the international community, little has happened since then. There is growing concern among local and international donors that the JMC has so far failed to deliver.

The Concerned Parents Association is one of a number of local agencies who work with local communities and returnees, helping them to recover from their experiences of the war.

As well as offering counselling and support to people affected by the conflict, they also provide training for returnee young mothers, helping them to develop small businesses so they can begin to support themselves and their children.

Yet this alone can never be enough. ìThe support that is needed here cannot be provided by us aloneî says Angelina ìWe want to see the government taking a lead, they must help us recover.î

UK-based international relief, development and advocacy organization Christian Aid, which works to support poor people irrespective of background or creed, is among those who back the CPA.

[Also on Ekklesia: Church centenary linked to Ugandan peace hope; African Churches back peace talks in Uganda and Sudan; Ugandan Baptists prepare radical refugee rescue plan; Baptists help Uganda refugees as end to war looms; Latest killings in Uganda alarm church agencies; Religious leaders commit to stem African violence]